--- title: "Here Are The Options For The EU’s Initiative To Restock Ukraine With Fighter Jets (Updated)" description: "A few EU countries still have jets similar to ones that Ukraine flies, which would allow them to be rushed into combat." date: "2022-02-27" modified: "2022-02-27" authors: - name: "Joseph Trevithick" job_title: "Deputy Editor" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/joseph-trevithick.md" url: "https://www.twz.com/44476/here-are-the-options-for-the-eus-initiative-to-restock-ukraine-with-fighter-jets" categories: - "Air" - "Air Forces" - "Around The Globe" - "Europe" - "Fighters" - "News & Features" - "Ukraine" - "Ukrainian Air Force" tags: - "air superiority" - "European Union" - "fighter jets" - "Flanker" - "Frogfoot" - "Fulcrum" - "IADS" - "invasion" - "MIG 29" - "military aid" - "russia" - "Su-25" - "Su-27" - "Ukraine" - "Ukrainian Air Force" --- # Here Are The Options For The EU’s Initiative To Restock Ukraine With Fighter Jets (Updated) ![]() *www.twz.com* In a major development with regards to the conflict in Ukraine, a top European Union official says that the bloc is now working to facilitate the delivery of fighter jets to the country as it continues to resist a full-on Russian invasion. Additional combat aircraft could be especially valuable for the Ukrainians, who have been able to prevent Russian from gaining air superiority, so far, but have suffered losses over the course of the fighting. You can get fully up to speed on the latest news on the conflict in our most recent rolling coverage [here](). Josep Borrell, a Spanish politician currently serving as the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and as Vice-President of the European Commission, [announced]() earlier today that the bloc would provide funding for Ukraine to purchase fighter jets from unspecified member states. While he did not identify what types of aircraft might be headed to Ukraine in the near future, he did indicate that they would be ones that the Ukrainian Air Force already operates, which would help get them into combat faster. This is just one part of a larger military assistance package valued at 450 million Euros, or just over $501 million at the rate of conversion at the time of writing. https://twitter.com/_/status/1498029493033881601 https://twitter.com/_/status/1498035551168983043 The Ukrainian Air Force's fighter fleets consist of a mixture of Soviet-designed MiG-29 Fulcrums and Su-27 Flankers, as you can read more about [here](). No country within the European Union operates Su-27s. This would suggest that the transfer of MiG-29s has been a central topic of discussion. Poland, Slovakia, and Bulgaria all still fly Fulcrum variants, which could be transferred and put into service very quickly. While the Bulgarian jets have seen some modest improvements since the fall of the Soviet Union, the Polish and Slovakian jets have been significantly upgraded. https://twitter.com/_/status/1270036787981942784 Other EU member states previously flew MiG-29s and may still have some in storage, but how long it might take to get them operational again would likely make them less attractive options. Still, they could possibly serve as spares resources, especially seeing that a number of Ukrainian MiG-29s which may have been unflyable, got destroyed in a Russian strike. https://twitter.com/_/status/1497983508299632640 Poland, Slovakia, and Bulgaria have the additional benefit of being NATO members [who are]() in [the process]() of [replacing their]() MiG-29 fleets. However, Poland is due to get the first of its new F-35A Joint Strike Fighters [until 2024](), while Slovakia and Bulgaria are set to begin receiving their new F-16C/Ds in [2023]() and [2025](), respectively. At the same time, those countries could mitigate any national security risks from losing the air defense capabilities offered by these jets by asking other NATO members to help guard their airspace in the interim. Countries from the alliance already [provide this added defensive capacity]() to the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, which do not have any combat jets of their own, as well as in the Black Sea region. Beyond that, American fighters, as well as those from other NATO nations, [are already flying enhanced patrols]() along [the alliance's eastern flank]() as a part of buildup in response to the conflict in Ukraine. At the same time, this might also mean there will be a need to remove certain sensitive NATO-standard gear from these jets before they could be turned over to Ukraine. [Romania]() and [Croatia](), which are also NATO members, fly older, deeply upgraded MiG-21 variants that might be on the table, which could [still be formidable adversaries]() in aerial combat. Ukraine does not currently fly the MiG-21 operationally, but companies in the country perform depot maintenance on them for other countries. This would still seem less likely than the transfer of MiG-29s. The same goes for Poland's aging fleet of Su-22 swing-wing combat jets, though these types might become more attractive if the conflict grinds on. ![message-editor%2F1645998251819-romania-mig-21-lancer.jpg]() *A Romanian MiG-21 Lancer., *USAF** ![message-editor%2F1645998336284-croatian-mig-21.jpg]() *A Croatian MiG-21. , *GOJANOVIC123456789/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS** Borrell may have been using a more generic form of the term "fighter jets" and the European Union could be looking to supply Ukraine with other combat jets, as well. Bulgaria [still flies Su-25 Frogfoot]() ground attack aircraft, another type that is also currently in Ukrainian service and is relevant to the conflict. ![message-editor%2F1645997429061-su-25.jpg]() *A Bulgarian Su-25 Frogfoot., **via Bulgarian Air Force*** This is all in addition to a growing array of weapons and other military aid that various European countries, as well as the United States, have delivered or are planning to in the future. This has included a [shipment of air-to-air missiles]() for Ukraine's existing fighter jets, according to the country's armed forces. Regardless of what specific types of aircraft the European Union is looking at transferring now, any additional and relatively modern combat jets are likely to be welcome additions to the Ukrainian Air Force's fleets, which have suffered significant losses already in the past four days. This includes some Ukrainian aircraft that have been destroyed [in missile strikes]() on various bases. https://twitter.com/_/status/1496815220135804933 https://twitter.com/_/status/1497204078102859783 https://twitter.com/_/status/1498042092010024964 https://twitter.com/_/status/1497865760529653760 Ukrainian fighters, as well as ground-based air defenses, [have shot down]() a number of Russian aircraft, too. This is what gave birth to the urban legend about a Ukrainian super ace, dubbed the Ghost of Kyiv, that you can read more about [here](). https://twitter.com/_/status/1497650959664791562 Ukrainian fighters, together with other elements of the country's air force, such as [Turkish-made TB2 armed drones](), and air defenders on the ground, have been critical for preventing Russian forces from achieving air superiority. This is a remarkable feat. As an example of these efforts, earlier today, a video emerged that reported shows a TB2 destroyed Russian [Buk-series]() mobile surface-to-air missile systems. https://twitter.com/_/status/1497953459097587712 https://twitter.com/_/status/1497997019515961347 https://twitter.com/_/status/1497929150526631938 Preventing Russian forces from gaining control of the skies also gives Ukrainian aircraft, including the TB2s, the opportunity to try to destroy convoys carrying badly needed supplies to units in the field and provide close air support, as well as engage other kinds of ground targets. All of this, together, can only help hamper the Russian military's ability to provide air support to friendly forces, move with greater freedom on the ground inside Ukraine, and otherwise operate effectively. https://twitter.com/_/status/1498022396682547201 All told, the Ukrainian Air Force has a need for more combat jets now. That demand will only grow as Russian forces continue to push along multiple axes in northern, eastern, and southern Ukraine, including around the capital Kyiv. If these additional European jets are to have an impact on the conflict, Ukraine needs them as soon as possible. ***UPDATED: 7:05 PM EST —*** Alexandre Krauss, a policy advisor to members of [Renew Europe](), a "pro-European political group in the European Parliament," has written on Twitter these jets, whatever they might be, will be "flying in Ukraine \[sic\] skies within the hour." He did not elaborate further on what type of jets would be included in the Europe Union's military air package or who would be flying them in Ukrainian skies shortly. https://twitter.com/_/status/1498034918785531919 Separately, *The Washington Post*'s Michael Birnbaum says that a European diplomat told him that Ukraine was set to receive Russian-made jets from Bulgaria, Slovakia, and Poland. This further points to the impending delivery of MiG-29s, as well as possibly Su-25s, just as *The War Zone* had laid out. https://twitter.com/_/status/1498037892886712322 It's not clear how much training Ukrainian pilots might need to fly any of these aircraft. Polish and Slovakian pilots reportedly needed significant additional instruction to learn how to operate their upgraded MiG-29s. At the same time, much of that could cover more advanced systems that Ukraine's aviators won't necessarily need to know in order to get the aircraft into the fight, if they haven't been removed prior to delivery in the first place. https://twitter.com/_/status/1498081299273330689 We will update this story as more information becomes available. *C**ontact the author: joe@thedrive.com* ## Author Joseph is *TWZ’s* Deputy Editor, helping to oversee the site’s highly experienced and dedicated team, while also writing informative and impactful defense and national security content. He lives right in the thick of it in the Washington, D.C. area. ### Author social links [Twitter]() [Bluesky]()